Modern Combat: Sandstorm
"...raises the bar of what is to be expected of future first person shooters on the iPhone..." -TouchArcade Gameplay Gameplay in Modern Combat: Sandstorm is similar to that of Call of Duty 4:Modern Warfare or other contemporary military shooters. Players control their character with a virtual joystick on the left side of the screen, while looking around the game's enviroments is controlled by swiping or dragging on the screen. The player can also crouch, throw grenades, use their weapon's iron sights, reload, change weapon, pick up different weapons, knife enemies and shoot using buttons and prompts on the touch screen. Plot American Warrant Officer "Chief"' Warrens returns to active duty in the war against terrorism in the Middle East and reunites with his old squad, composed of soldiers named Dozer, Ryan, Fox, and Jones, the Captain. After completing a training run, Chief is immediately taken with his squad to an area believed to be being used as a terrorist radio outpost. The squad splits up and travels around the area, destroying a number of radio towers, before regrouping in a Palace. Their extraction chopper is shot down by the terrorists, and so they are forced to defend the Palace from a large number of terrorists before being safely extracted in a Humvee. During the mission, the squad notice how the terrorists seemed to be ready for them and begin to suspect the presence of an informant. The squad are then sent to a hospital in order to capture Abu Bahaa, a terrorist warlord, who is apparently undergoing an unspecified surgery there at the time. Chief and Dozer infiltrate the hospital through the sewer system below, while Ryan and Jones wait outside. It is suspected that Ryan is killed in this mission. Upon reaching Bahaa's room, Chief finds that they have been tricked; the hospital has been rigged with explosives and a dummy corpse has been placed in Bahaa's hospital bed. However, he and Dozer manage to escape unscathed, while also protecting Jones, who has been wounded. After Jones recovers, the squad break into a dockyard which Bahaa is using to conceal a nuclear weapon. They discover that the terrorists actually have an enormous base underground, the entrance hidden within a metal box. Chief is sent in to find the nuke - he encounters Bahaa inside, but is forced to leave him in order to locate the bomb, which could be detonated by the terrorists any minute. He eventually finds the nuke and is able to secure it, while Bahaa flees outside and attempts to escape in a truck. The squad pursue him in a humvee, chasing him out of the dockyard and through a train tunnel, before eventually managing to flip his truck just as he reaches the highway. The squad find Bahaa lying by the truck, still alive, and Dozer prepares to capture him; however, Jones betrays the squad, killing Dozer and taking Fox hostage. Bahaa taunts Chief, saying that he is weak and that he has no choice but to surrender, but Chief shoots Jones, who falls to the ground with Fox. Bahaa pulls two Fragmentation Grenade from his jacket and prepares to blow up both Chief and himself, but Fox pulls him to the ground and tells Chief to run. Chief takes cover by the Humvee as both Bahaa and Fox are consumed by the explosion. For all of his efforts, Chief is promoted and becomes known as a hero. He travels to Fox's residence and meets his wife, informing her of his act of martyrdom and how he saved his life. Campaign Missions *Mission 1: Back In Business *Mission 2: Operation Sandstorm *Mission 3: Sand Hits The Fan *Mission 4: Extraction *Mission 5: Death On Wheels *Mission 6: Subterranean Blackout *Mission 7: Medical Emergency *Mission 8: A Nuke Too Far *Mission 9: Underground Compound *Mission 10: The Last Stretch Characters Playable Characters *Lieutenant Williams Non-Playable Allied Characters *Khris *Vendette *Fox *Ryan *Dozer *Jones *Maurice *Bonnard *Nazair *Coupal *Drouin *Francoeur *LeBlond *Baz *Jackson *Franky *Voice of Command Non-Playable Antagonists *Abu Bahaa *Masked Terrorist *Palace Guard *Mercenary *Biohazard Suit Terrorist *Plainclothes Terrorist Multiplayer Multiplayer was released in a free update in December 2009. Online multiplayer is class-based and similar in presentation to the singleplayer Campaign, with two teams of two players battling on three different maps. Game Modes Modern Combat: Sandstorm features two multiplayer modes, Team and Solo, which are selected before each round by the game's Host. Maps There are three multiplayer maps in Modern Combat: Sandstorm: *Back Stab *Hideout *Bodybags Weapons *MN106 *AK-47 *MP5 *Benelli M4 *M40A3 *M249 *RPG-7 Classes Multiplayer features 4 classes which players can select prior to joining a match or after being killed. Infantry *MN106 *MP5 Close Quarters *MP5 *Benelli M4 Long-Range *M40A3 *AK-47 Heavy Gunner *M249 *RPG-7 Reception Reception for Modern Combat: Sandstorm was positive, with most reviewers citing the game's graphics, aggressive AI and controls as strong points. The game was rated highly across the board, and continues to have a small following online, even years after its creation. Videos 300px|Official Trailer External Links Official Modern Combat: Sandstorm Webpage